School of Modern Languages & Cultures | BA Arabic Studies (Modern Languages and Cultures) with Year Abroad (with Placement Year)

BA Arabic Studies (Modern Languages & Cultures) with Year Abroad (with Placement Year) at Durham University

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Develop advanced language skills and in-depth cultural awareness as you delve into a range of Modern Languages. A degree in Modern Languages is your passport to exciting international career opportunities.

This BA in Modern Languages & Cultures offers you the opportunity to combine the development of high-level language skills with in-depth critical engagement with other cultures through studying Literature, Art, Film & Visual Culture, History and Politics.

If you already have an A-level (or equivalent) in French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish, we offer advanced courses in those languages. You will also have the choice to study beginner courses in the above languages or Arabic. Whether you are a beginner or a post-A level student in your chosen languages, you will also study cultural modules together and the beginner and advanced streams fully merge in the final year.

In Year 1 you can study up to three languages, focusing on the key skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will also explore aspects of the Literature, Film, Art, History and Politics of the cultures you are studying.

In Year 2 you will be able to study one or two languages, building on your skills and allowing you to begin to specialise in areas that interest you.

You will then spend Year 3 abroad, either as an English Assistant in a school or university, as a student, or on a work placement. You will divide your time between countries whose languages you will study in your final year. This is a time of enormous linguistic and personal development, when you should gain fluency in your language and enjoy a unique opportunity to make new friends, appreciate other cultures and learn to work and study in new ways. You can also apply to add a placement year to your degree, increasing the course from four years to five.

In Year 4 you will develop your advanced skills in one or two chosen languages. You will also continue your Cultural Studies, focusing on your areas of interest (such as the work of a particular writer or the culture of a particular period).

A degree in Modern Languages & Cultures will provide you with an impressive portfolio of cultural knowledge, transferable skills and real-world experiences that is valued by employers worldwide. In particular, the year abroad which, as well as developing language abilities, can also greatly enhance your intercultural, problem-solving and communication skills.

With the UK as a whole producing fewer linguists, proficiency in languages coupled with the intellectual rigour and cultural understanding acquired during your degree will make you highly employable in a wide range of careers both in the UK and internationally. These include occupations such as interpreting, translation and teaching, media and the arts but also working across wider industry in research, administration, human resources, sales and business development and the financial services.

The study of Visual Arts & Film will help you build up future-proof skills.

In a world that increasingly demands visual literacy and is rapidly changing through technologies like AI, it is hard to predict what specialised skills will be needed in future.

For this reason, our programme seeks to enable you to be a nimble thinker and writer, moving across disciplines and geographical areas while still being rigorous In your academic work.

You will cultivate new active learning strategies, understand how to work in teams in the more practice-related elements of the course, develop an ability to solve complex problems, and display creativity, originality and initiative in the range of outputs the course demands. All of these are the kinds of skills identified in the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report in 2020.

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